News

In January 2016, One Yellow Rabbit celebrates the 30th anniversary of the High Performance Rodeo. To mark this milestone the High Performance Rodeo along with musician Kenna Burima and the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society (CCPS) launch the Calgary Songs Project, a 30-song tribute to this city’s recent musical heritage.

The Calgary Songs Project is made up of four distinct elements.

1) Calgarians are asked to submit their favourite songs by Calgary musicians, from the past 30 years (1986 to now). There are no rules about genre, only that they be by a Calgarian and that they be something that was released after 1986. Tell us what matters to you - and what you think should matter for the rest of the city. Burima and the CCPS will sort through the suggestions and curate the final list of 30 songs. Deadline to submit is October 23rd, 2015.

2) The final playlist will be unveiled January 7th, the opening night of the 30th anniversary of One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo. That evening Burima will perform an arranged medley of the 30 songs on the Calgary Tower’s carillon. Every weekday during the month of January a recording of the playlist will ring out from the Tower’s carillon during the lunch hour.

3) Original recordings of the 30 selected songs will be heard playing from the “Galleria Trees” sculpture on Stephen Avenue, throughout the month of January.

4) The Calgary Songs Project culminates with a one-night only concert at the Royal Canadian Legion #1, where new and seasoned Calgary bands will perform covers of the 30 songs. The full list of bands and ticket information will be announced with the line-up for the 30th anniversary High Performance Rodeo on November 18th.

To inspire your personal song submission, check out the song lists from some notable Calgarians: Sled Island Festival Manager Shawn Petsche, musician Tona W. Ohama, Calgary Folk Festival Artistic Director Kerry Clarke, and former One Yellow Rabbit producer Grant Burns. Their top song picks can be viewed here.